Smoke generator friction wheel



April 12,1966 R. A. HAwLEY 3,245,394

SMOKE cmmmwon FRICTION WHEEL Filed June 28, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. -i9 Richard A. Hawley ATTO RN 5Y5 April 12, 1966 R. A. HAWLEY SMOKE GENERATOR. FRICTION WHEEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28, 1965 United States Patent 3,245,394 SMOKE GENERATOR FRICTION WHEEL Richard A. Hawley, 2440 Scout Road, Oakland, Calif. Filed June 28, 1965, Ser. No. 467,476 8 Claims. (Cl. 126-595) This invention relates to smoke generators for producing smoke in quantity for delivery to a food product smokehouse; the invention particularly representing improvements, with regard to the specific smoke generating member, over what is shown in United States Patent No. 3,000,373.

Previouslyas shown for example in said prior patent--the rotary smoke generating member has been designed to engage substantially flat against and to frictionally abrade the butt end of the log from which the smoke is created. However, this type of smoke generating member has been found to have certain limitations and disadvantages.

It is, therefore, the major object of the present invention to provide an improved smoke generating member ,which engages an area of the log greater than the butt end thereof, and with a more forceful frictional contact; the result being more eflicient operation and a resultant increase in the production of smoke.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an improved smoke generating memberin the form of a friction wheelso constructed that it will run quite smooth as compared with the prior types of wheels, and with less throw-out of ash.

A further object of the invention is to provide a smoke generator friction wheel which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a practical, reliable, and durable smoke generator friction wheel and one which is exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is -a diagrammatic front elevation of a smoke generator embodying the invention; the view being partly broken out to show the improved friction wheel.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the friction wheel, detached.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of the friction wheel, taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a similar view, but showing a log as engaged in the friction wheel.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the smoke generatorof which the improved friction wheel is a partis generally similar to that shown in the aforementioned United States Patent No. 3,000,373; such smoke generator, therefore, including a frame 1, and a vertical guideway 2 in the frame for a wood log 3 from which smoke is to be generated.

At its upper end the log 3 is engaged by a presser head 4; such presser head being attached to one end of a transverse lever arm 5 which at its other end is coupled to a depending frame-mounted link 6. The lever arm 5- intermediate its endsis connected to the piston rod of a double acting power cylinder unit 7 adapted to exert a downward pressure on the lever arm 5 and consequently on the log 3 through the medium of presser head 4.

Mounted directly below and in centered relation to the guideway 2 is the novel vertical-axis friction wheel, indicated generally at 8, which is the subject of this invention.

The friction wheel 8 is fixed on a shaft 9 journaled intermediate its ends in frame-mounted bearings 10; said shaft having a pulley 11 on its lower end. The pulley 11 is alined with a similar but somewhat smaller pulley 12 mounted on the shaft 13 of an inverted electric motor 14 which is supported from the frame 1 to one side of the wheel 8; the pulleys 11 and 12 being connected by an endless belt unit 15.

The friction wheel 8 comprises a frusto-conical downwardly tapering body 16 provided on its lower end with a socket 17 in which the upper end of the shaft 9 is secured. The body 16 is formed with an upwardly opening cone shaped and relatively deep cavity 18 which is of larger diameter at the top than the diagonal dimension of the log 3; the latter being square in cross section.

Formed with (or secured to) the body 16 within the cavity and extending substantially the full depth thereof in circumferentially spaced relation are narrow 10g abrading blades 19; such blades projecting radially of the cavity and protrude a very short distance only from the surface thereof. A plurality of other similar but shorter blades 20 are disposed about the cavity and extend radially inward a short distance only from the upper edge thereof.

The body 16 and the blades 19, if integral with each other, are made of hardened steel. If the blades are made separately from the body, they alone need be of such steel. In such latter case the blades may be recessed (and suitably detachably secured) in place in the body so that they may be readily removed and replaced when worn or damaged.

On the outside, the body 16 is provided with a plurality of vertical radial vanes 21 disposed in evenly spaced relation thereabout; the outer edges of said vanes preferably being vertical as shown. These vaneswhich extend substantially the full height of the body 16--are stiffened at the bottom by a circumferentially extending ring 22 which is concentric with said body.

The above described friction wheel 8 is enclosed in a housing 23 which is a lateral extension of a manifold 24 disposed to the side of said wheel opposite the motor 14. The bottom wall of the housing 23 slopes down so as to deliver into an ash pan 25 disposed directly under the manifold 24. A cyclone 26 leads upwardly from the manifold and delivers to a discharge conduit 27 which leads to the smokehouse.

In operation of a smoke generator embodying the described friction wheel 8, the log 3 is constantly urged downwardly by the presser head 4 and with the result that the lower end of such log is forcefully engaged in the cone shaped cavity 18. The lower end portion of the log soon assumes a blunt pointed form (see FIG. 4) and with the constant pressure from above such lower end portion is in etfect continuously wedged into the progressively smaller area of the cavity 18. This creates a more forceful frictional contact between the log and blades, and consequently the production of smoke is greater than other types of friction wheels.

Additionally, with the lower end portion of the log soon becoming blunt pointed, there is provided a greater frictional contact area between the log and the blades than possible with a friction wheel of the type which bears only against the substantially square end of the log. Such lower end portion of the log becomes blunt pointed for the reason that-while at the start only the corner portions of the log are engaged and abraded by the blades 19 and 20soon the lower portion of the log moves further down into the cavity 18, said corner portions are wholly removed by the abrading action, and the complete peripheral area of the log becomes engaged by the longer blades 19.

The present friction wheel runs smoother than has pre- Patented Apr. 12, 1966 a viously been the case since the abrading blades travel diagonally of the grain of the wood of the blunt pointed log.

Another advantage resides in the fact that the vanes 21 (on the sides of the rapidly rotating friction wheel) create a draft about said wheel, aiding in transmission of the smoke and ash away from the wheel and into the manifold 24; the ash falling in the main into the pan 25, while the smoke feeds through the cyclone 26 and thence to discharge conduit 27.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a smoke generator friction wheel as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the smoke generator friction wheel, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thusdescribed the invent-ion, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. In a smoke generator which includes means to slidably guide a wood log for downward movement, means to exert downward pressure on the log, and a driven vertical-axis friction wheel directly below and in centralized relation to the guide means; means forming .an upwardly opening cone shaped cavity in said friction wheel for reception of the lower end of the log, and log engaging and abrading elements -in the cavity projecting from the surface thereof.

2. A friction wheel, as in claim 1, in which the diameter of the cavity intermediate its ends is as great as the maximum transverse dimension of said lower end of the log guiding means.

3. A friction wheel, as in claim 1, in which the log engagingand abrading elements comprise blades disposed in and spaced about the cavity; said blades having log engaging edges parallel to and a short distance only from the surface of the cavity.

4. A friction wheel, as in claim 1, in which the log engaging and abrading elements comprise circumferentially spaced blades extending radially into the cavity from the upper end thereof.

5. A friction wheel, as in claim 4, in which certain ones only of the blades project substantially the full depth of the cavity, and the other blades being relatively short.

6. In a smoke generator which includes means to slidably guide a wood log for downward movement, means to exert downward pressure on the log, and a driven vertical-axis friction wheel directly below and in centralized relation to the guide means, said wheel having means thereon to engage the log and generate smoke upon the log being pressed down as the wheel rotates; vanes projecting outwardly from the wheel in circumferentially spaced relation thereabout, and the vanes being substantially vertical and extending radially of the wheel.

7. In a smoke generator which includes means to slidably guide a wood log for downward movement, means to exert downward pressure on the log, and a driven vertical-axis friction wheel directly below and in centralized relation to the guide means, said wheel having means thereon to engage the log and generate smoke upon the log being pressed down as the wheel rotates; vanes projecting outwardly from the wheel in circumferentially spaced relation thereabout, a manifold disposed mainly to one side of the wheel and in a lateral projection of which manifold the wheel is located, and a cyclone connected to and upstanding from the main portion of the manifold.

8. In a smoke generator which includes means to slidably guide a wood log of rectangular cross section for downward movement, means to exert downward pressure on the log, and a driven vertical-axis friction wheel directly below and in centralized relation to the guide means; means forming an upwardly opening cone shaped cavity in said friction wheel for reception of the lower end of the log, and log engaging and abrading elements in the cavity projecting from the surface thereof; and the upper end of the cavity being formed with a greater diameter than the diagonal dimensions of the log guiding means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,000,373 9/1961 Hawley 12659.5 3,009,457 11/1961 Rasmussen et al. 12659.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 206,728 12/ 1959 Austria.

CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A SMOKE GENERATOR WHICH INCLUDES MEANS TO SLIDABLY GUIDE A WOOD LOG FOR DOWNWARD MOVEMENT, MEANS TO EXERT DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON THE LOG, AND A DRIVEN VERTICAL-AXIS FRICTION WHEEL DIRECTLY BELOW AND IN CENTRALIZED RELATION TO THE GUIDE MEANS; MEANS FORMING AN UPWARDLY OPENING CONE SHAPED CAVITY IN SAID FRICTION WHEEL FOR RECEPTION OF THE LOWER END OF THE LOG, AND LOG ENGAGING AND ABRADING ELEMENTS IN THE CAVITY PROJECTING FROM THE SURFACE THEREOF. 